Russian fighter jet 'shot down' in Syria (3rd Feb)
 

A report on BBC News:-

Fingers crossed for a happy ending for the pilot.

BV

Sooner or later it would have happened. They fly too low and too risky though know that jihaddists do have lots of MANPADS.
Here is a recent (yesterday) video how Su-25 evaded fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwG_...ature=youtu.be

Sounds like today one of the pilots was not that lucky while "gambling". Hope that he is alive and rescued, but first rumours are sadly negative...

Tyler Rogoway has this article posted about the incident:

Russian Su-25 Frogfoot Attack Jet Shot Down In Syria - The Drive

Those "rebels" are probably missing Tu-22M3 and cruise missiles to visit their "camp". Hope the waiting will not be long.

Pilot is dead (probably killed). NSFW

Russian Defence Ministry confirmed Su-25 shot down by MANPADS in Idlib province. Pilot was captured and killed by terrorists.

Hopefully this lot of vile savages won't have long to wait before some sustained bombing raids send them all off to meet their 72 virgins.

Too bad.

While the Russian regime stations IRBM around NATO members borders, develop Kanyon as a third strike weapon system, annex eastern Ukraine in an ongoing bloody war, I'm minded that all you see flying in those videos are ...targets.


Here ya go van, fill your boots..

https://www.nato.int/docu/review/201...a/EN/index.htm

Ah, is that the "rebels" we "currently" support? Hard to tell day to day.

It never ceases to amaze me why we try and topple the only secular leader in the continent so that the country descends into utter Islamic chaos with "non-believers" beheaded and tribes fighting it out for land and the rule of law disappearing for decades (and beyond).

Still, my sympathies to the Pilots family. I live in Russia and I can tell you what we think of these scum, and it isn't pretty.

What Flash said! :hmm:

russian-made, probably looted from syrian army depot

Curious that in both the Su-25 videos of the last couple of days, both fly a predictable flight path for many seconds (without pickling any weapons), and neither pump out flares at random. Complacency creeping into the Russian camp?

Last fight for pilot

https://t.me/directorate4/1433

Or from one of Ukrainian military depot, which was "accidentally" set on fire last year. Or from some of Eastern Europe country. Money talks.

Google Translate on the caption: “The last battle of the pilot Su-25SM. He blew himself up with a grenade to avoid being captured by militants.” If true, and the video clip seems consistent on first viewing, then at least he died a dignified and valiant death. Hope he took a few with him too.

As for tooling around at a few thousand feet without MAWS, manoeuvre or pre-emptive countermeasures... very, very unwise. Either they’re getting complacent, are rotating too many inexperienced pilots through with insufficient training, or there is some unexplained strategic imperative that is driving them to accept much higher risk levels than the West would...

Regardless of the 'side' the pilot may be on, when a grenade is your plan to preserve your dignity you must be in a pretty dark and nasty place. Not something I would ever want to contemplate let alone have to experience. I feel for the guy, having to go through that.

Is carrying a Grenade in the cockpit common practice???